After Harlan uses the scroll to restore Malnival, Maeve activates the panel again, causing a new force hexagon to appear. You all hop on, feeling a giddy drop in your stomachs as the platform starts to rapidly ascend. The forceful wind from above grows steadily stronger, noisier, and strangely warmer as you emerge onto the second floor. The tower's central hexagonal shaft is open to this chamber on three sides, but the northern sides continue up to a third level above. To the northeast and northwest, hexagonal portals stand in the walls, both filled with featureless, opaque crystal.

The most striking feature of this room is the immense centipede-like beast coiled in west corner. As soon as you emerge, it rapidly moves to strike. Rows of chitinous plates along its back begin to glow with intense heat. {PIC}

Knowledge (arcana) DC 22:

This magical beast is a remorhaz, an ancient species of arctic predators. Their bodies are known to produce intense heat, burning those who touch and damaging weapons that strike.

Heng falls back, trying to draw the creature out, while Malnival charges in, striking with an electrically-charged scimitar. Harlan shuffles back, firing his crossbow and clipping the monster's head with a bolt. It screeches and moves lashes out, chomping down and clamping its jaws tight around Malnival.

Sandru moves up to the corner, hiding behind cover and waiting for an opportune strike. Parity moves in, slashing but unable to cut through its thick carapace. Maeve begins dancing.

Upon seeing Malnival's scimitar grow cherry red and start smoldering, Heng frowns down at his own fists and grabs his sling. "Perhaps we should conserve our resources for whatever greater threat lies above. Sandru, Maeve do not linger on the platform. Can you open the portal behind us?"

"Too late!" Maeve shouts even while shifting position towards the south wall. "Mal's looking a little busy!" She cocks back and makes ready to throw the missle. "Not like this stuff's going to do a lot of good against anything else up here."

Scimitar would probably be fine. Hardness 10 and 5 hp, energy attacks do half damage before hardness so 11 damage minus 10 is 1 hp damage. If it's +1 then you add 2 to the hardness and hp and take no damage. Even then it's only Broken until you get to 0 hp.

Pulled in close by the monster's pincer jaws, Malnival slashing down hard onto its head. He tries to channel a spell through the blade, but is jostled too aggressively. Heng and Harlan batter it with missiles, but the thing continues to pull Malnival in. With a sudden twitch, Malnival disappears down the beast's throat.

Sandru shouts and rounds the corner, leaving a jagged wound along its side. Parity attacks with Suishen, deflecting the first swing harmlessly of its carapace, but the follow-up finds a soft crease between harder segments. The terrible wound spews scalding innards, steaming into the frigid air with a vile stench.

Maeve hurls an alchemical vial, splashing it across its back, but the liquid has no discernible effect.

Inside the monster's gullet, Malnival pulls his dagger and stabs viciously left and right, and apparently hitting something vital on the way. The massive creature convulses violently. Before Sandru or Parity can even strike again, it twists and flips onto its back with a dying warble. Unceremoniously, Malnival comes spewing forth.

I guess I didn't specify but I can't possibly imagine Harlan stepping on to the platform after saying everybody should get off, I meant to have him step diagonal. Either way I guess let's see if I die now.

Malnival leaps to his feet, dagger still in hand and sways a bit as he looks back at the beast then back at his friends. Much of his skin is burnt and a wild look is in the elf's eyes. "Holy shiza! That thing fargin ate me! "

Maeve blinks at Mal's response to that whole thing. "...uhm...yeah. Are you badly injured? Did it hurt?" Overall she seems a little overwhelmed by this. "Maybe this trip was a bad idea for you - that's not going to be our last dragon and stuff like this keeps happening..."

By my calculations even if you failed the last save your sword is at 3 HP because it is +1 correct? If so I have the caster level to repair it with a few applications of mending, healing 1d4 ⇒ 3 it completely with two castings 1d4 ⇒ 2. Does that look correct Nomad?

Strange situation, It was a +3 at the time so does that change to temporary hp?

Malnival just looks at the others as they talk to him until after Harlan heals him. The elf turns to the giant worm and begins to cut on it, working his way into the beast. "Left my scimitar in that son of ma batch."

I wasn't trying to be devious. See, I just figured Harlan got caught up in the combat, distracted by Malnival getting swallowed, and lost track of his footing. =) Stuff like that happens all the time in RL!

Besides, unless you're wounded, a 100 ft drop at this level is more of an inconvenience than a death sentence. ;p

RE: weapon damage, does the temporary magus enhancement bonus affect weapon damage? I'd say yes, but I don't know if there's an official ruling. Fortunately, this shouldn't come up often. =) As it is, the mendings will fully repair it.

Looking around this room, you find another hexagonal panel on the wall adjacent to each of the hexagonal doors. The two doors are comprised of an unidentifiable opaque crystal.

The dead worm beast has three-fingered symbols of Sithhud branded onto its back plates. With a little (gruesome) work, Malnival retrieves his scimitar.

A hundred feet overhead, another hexagonal opening leads to a third level. The wind gusting down from above remains strong enough to buffett you around, and cause Harlan balance issues. The wind creates a constant howling, punctuated by the cracks and pops of lightning striking the glowing sphere, far above.

Maeve frowns, looking over the new panels for any new wrinkles before she tries to get to work.

These panels light up like the one downstairs, but have a more complex series of options.

Maeve:

UMD DC 25 to activate a descending platform (you can Take 20 on this option)UMD DC 25 to activate an ascending platform. A 2nd successful check can add a protective shelter to the platform.UMD DC 30 to open the doors.

Does Maeve think that this thing is at least partially in one of the other rooms, and that there might be more control to get at from there. Or, for that matter, that the zappy thing above them might be in one of those rooms, even partially, based on what she's seen?